The Fall
by Meriku-kun
Summary: Two months have passed since Aizen retreated from Fake Karakura. Things have been relatively normal since, but things are about to go straight to hell for Soul Society. about 1/5 of the way done with chapter 3. up by next monday hopefully
1. Just Another Day

"Ichigo, get up you idiot!" Rukia yelled for the seventh time that morning while making sure to plant a foot into Ichigo's behind.

Ichigo groaned but didn't budge at all, so Rukia grabbed both of his feet and dragged him off the edge of the bed, his body landing on the hard wood flooring with a resounding thud.

This did the trick as he slowly started to get up from off the floor. He was pretty tired from the night before since he had to complete an assignment for History, and Rukia wouldn't stop pestering him with her crappy drawings.

"What the hell…..damn midget…..you could've at least warned me….," he mumbled while he sluggishly went to get dressed.

Rukia, who had been desperately trying to wake the orange-headed teen for the past ten minutes, was NOT about to take any crap from him. And she made that point obvious by landing a well-placed punch right in the middle of his face.

"Ack! What the hell!? How many times are you gonna hit me!? I'm obviously awake now……dammit that hurts…."

"Well, now that you're awake _Kurosaki-kun _we can finally start walking to school," she said in her best schoolgirl voice.

Ichigo scowled but when he saw the clock on his desk the scowl was immediately replaced with a look of disdain.

8:53 AM

Ichigo let out a deep sigh and resumed buttoning his gray Karakura High uniform.

"Go on ahead, Rukia, I'll catch up later."

Taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor, the petite Soul Reaper let out a confused "Huh?"

"You're going to be late if you wait on me to get ready so just leave without me. You only have….." He glanced back at the clock.

8:55 AM

"…. fifteen minutes to get there, and another tardy on top of your shitty grades might get you suspended."

"Since when did you care?" she questioned teasingly. "And why doesn't it matter if _you're_ late?"

"It does, you moron, now get to freakin' class!"

_She is too goddamn argumentative in the morning._

"Fine then! See you in class you fool!" and with that the raven-haired girl opened the window and vanished from Ichigo's sight.

_When is she going to learn how to use the front door?_

He let out yet another sigh and started to gather his things for school. By the time he made it out the door it was already 9:04 AM.

"I am really not looking forward to Ochi-sensei this morning," he muttered under his breath and began walking towards another day full of exams and angry instructors.

**

* * *

**

It was a rather dreary day in Karakura Town. It was completely overcast with light drizzles coming and going throughout the day. This, coupled with an oh-so-comfortable temperature of 34 degrees Fahrenheit, made Ichigo's walk to Karakura High School a bitch.

Twice he slipped on patches of ice that had formed overnight, and both times he ended up knocking over a few bystanders that were not exactly happy with the fifteen-year-old's clumsiness.

He also was treated to a lovely dropout that happened to dislike the vibrant orange color of Ichigo's hair. A few punches later and the punk was laying in a heap at Ichigo's feet.

_Great… Now I get to wash blood off my hands before getting to class…_

When he reached the main entrance of his school, you better believe he was glad the hellish walk was over. He quickly glanced up at the analog clock on the wall see how fashionably late he really was.

9:32 AM

"Shit…they better not be cleaning blackboards in detention today," he muttered to himself as he walked down the halls to class 3-1.

Upon opening the door to his classroom he was greeted by an unexpectedly lax atmosphere. There were groups of students scattered all over the classroom chattering amongst themselves and Ochi-sensei was nowhere to be seen.

_Strange…I'm twenty-five minutes late, but class hasn't even started yet._

"Oi, Tatsuki!"

Tatsuki glanced over her shoulder and spotted the tardy Ichigo. She could tell he was relieved that their instructor wasn't there yet.

"Runnin' a bit behind aren't we Ichigo? Ochi-sensei had some school board meeting to attend so she has a substitute coming in for us. Whoever it is, it looks like they're even lazier than you!"

Tatsuki smirked when she saw his trademark scowl plaster his face.

"Whatever…I'm really in no mood to argue right now," he stated wearily as he headed over towards his desk next to Rukia.

As he plopped down into his chair he looked back at his childhood friend. He noticed a slight look of worry in her face.

"Anything wrong Tatsuki?"

"You look -- and SOUND -- worn out. Both of you…" she stated sharply while looking back and forth between the two Soul Reapers.

Rukia had arrived twenty-five minutes earlier, greeted everyone, and promptly took a seat and laid her head on her desk. She hadn't slept very well due to the cold and cramped conditions of her "room" and needed some shut-eye.

"Don't worry about it, we're fine. Just a little sleepy, that's all," Ichigo replied.

Suddenly, Keigo, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation while pretending to listen to Mizuiro rant about past girlfriends, jumped at Ichigo.

"ICHIGOOOOO!! WHAT DO MEAN _WE _ARE SLEEPY!?" DON'T TELL ME YOU AND THE LOVELY KUCHIKI-SAN DID --"

He was interrupted by two fists in his face before he could finish, but the damage was already done and Rukia slowly raised her head.

"Wha-…What's going on?" Rukia asked in between yawns.

"Oh, nothing…," Tatsuki replied. "It's just Keigo being….Keigo. You feeling alright Kuchiki-san?"

"_And here comes her annoying schoolgirl voice," _Ichigo thought to himself.

"Of course, Arisawa-san, I'm just a little tired," she said sweetly.

"See, Tatsuki? You need to take my word as the truth sometimes."

"Shut up Ichigo. Besides, why are you BOTH tired?"

"Eh? W-well…umm," he stammered. He didn't want to accidentally hint at the fact that Rukia was living with him, but before he could come up with an explanation the door swung open and a somewhat short man with fuzzy gray hair waddled in.

"Good morning, class! Sorry for arriving late, but Ochi-san only called about twenty minutes ago so I had little time to get ready. She even forgot to tell me what the lesson plan was! I guess that means that this class gets to enjoy a movie day."

There were a few cheers coming from the students as the man hobbled over to the VCR and popped in a tape.

"Umm…sensei? What movie are we watching?" Orihime asked nervously.

"I haven't the slightest idea!" he replied. "I just found it here on Ochi-san's desk. Oh, and my name is Nakajima Haruo."

"Oh….okay then," Orihime said with slight confusion

"What a weird old man," Tatsuki whispered as those around her nodded in agreement.

Everyone had taken their seats by then and patiently waited for the movie to start.

"You may move around the room and talk if you wish class. This movie may just be some boring educational video!" the substitute told the students.

Rukia had dozed of again while the substitute was talking, but she immediately snapped awake when she heard Chappy the Rabbit's theme song.

Ichigo just stared at the TV, not believing this was happening to him. All of the girls in the class had huddled in front of the movie and began to sing along with the accursed rabbit. Rukia had gotten stuck in the back, and, because of her being vertically challenged, was running around frantically to find a spot where she could see.

Ichigo was banging his head against his desk at a slow but steady pace when Tatsuki walked over.

"I really don't get why everyone thinks that thing is so cute anyways," she stated plainly. "Even Chad is staring at the screen."

Ichigo looked up at her and then at Chad before laying his arms on his desk and burying his face into them.

"Do you have any earplugs Tatsuki?" he said, his face still in his arms

She was about to answer when Rukia came racing over and yanked Ichigo up by his hair. Tatsuki shuffled away quickly, not wanting to get hit in the crossfire of their latest argument.

"God dammit, Rukia! I'd like to keep my hair attached to my head you midget!"

"Shut up and let me sit on your shoulders!"

Ichigo blushed slightly at this suggestion but quickly regained his composure.

"Why the hell do you wanna sit on ME for!?"

"Not YOU, your shoulders! And hurry up! I don't want to miss the beginning of the movie!"

A goofy grin started to form on Ichigo's face as he realized that she was too short to see the TV. He tried to hide his face from her before she noticed, but he wasn't fast enough. He slowly looked back up and instead of seeing Rukia's deep violet eyes he saw a fist headed for his face for the third time that day.

Even Tatsuki cringed when the punch connected. Fortunately for Rukia, everyone except Tatsuki, Mizuiro, and Keigo were watching the movie which meant Ichigo wouldn't be receiving any help.

"Alright! Alright! You can sit on my shoulders….midget."

But before Rukia was able to prepare a retort her Soul Pager started to beep.

The pair instantly quit bickering as Rukia went for her phone.

"What now?" Ichigo grumbled…

"Two Hollows about a half-mile away."

Ichigo was secretly jumping for joy.

_Yes! Now I don't have to sit through the nightmare that is Chappy the Rabbit! Although I wouldn't have minded Rukia sitting on my shoulders…._

Hold it!

_I can't be thinking about things like that! She's dead! She's a soul! A slender…beautiful….soul………._

"Ichigo, you fool, stop spacing out and let's hurry!"

"R-right…sorry"

"Sometimes you worry me," she said while letting out a sigh.

"Why is that?"

"Because you're Ichigo. Now let's go already!"

Ichigo glanced over at their odd, little substitute who was engrossed in Chappy the Rabbit as well.

"Alright, let's go."

* * *

"Let's hurry, Ichigo! I don't feel like waiting around for a downpour to start!"

"Hey! Neither do I! And where exactly are these hollows?"

"It says they're just up ahead, beside that soccer field."

"They better be…"

Ichigo and Rukia arrived at their destination and looked around. Neither of the hollows were in sight. Ichigo couldn't care less, though, since he wasn't really in the mood to go back to class.

"Hey, Rukia, you think that afro-guy got here before us?"

"You mean Zennosuke? I doubt it. He isn't exactly the most efficient Soul Reaper."

"Then where are those two hollows?"

"How should--"

_Crack!_

A bolt of lightning struck a nearby tree and split it in half. Both Soul Reapers jumped at the sound it made, and then looked at each other in disbelief.

Because they were so preoccupied with the sudden close call, neither of them noticed the garganta opening in the sky above.

"That was too close. Maybe we should get indoors?" Ichigo stated quizzically.

"Not until we get those hollows, idiot. That IS our job!"

"Fine," he said as he pushed his Substitute Soul Reaper badge against his chest and separated from his body.

Rukia, on the other hand, was digging through her book bag; she was looking for her Soul Candy. She finally found it and set her bag down.

However, when she pushed rabbit's head at the top nothing came out.

"Damn you, Urahara!"

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Ichigo asked while turning around

"The Soul Candy dispenser he gave me was only half-full!" she said while pointing at the empty dispenser with a pout on her face.

"Well what do you want me to do about it?"

"Just hand me your badge, Ichigo."

"You're hopeless, Rukia. Here."

He tossed the badge over to the annoyed girl and she repeated what Ichigo had done moments earlier.

As soon as she handed it back to him, the familiar cry of a hollow got their attention. A jet-black hollow was shambling towards them, sharp spikes protruding from its forearms.

"Finally!" Ichigo yelled while taking Zangetsu off his back.

"Something's not right, Ichigo. We should be careful."

"What's wrong? It looks like just one regular ol' hollow to me."

"That's my point. It's by itself, but my Soul Pager said there would be two."

"Well I'll just take care of this guy and then we can look for the other one. Sound good?"

Suddenly, a huge wave of dark spiritual pressure came over them as Ichigo was preparing to lunge at the black behemoth. They quickly turned their heads to face the spiritual pressure's owner. What stood before them caught the two completely off guard.

"You…you're a…" Rukia stammered.

"An arrancar," Ichigo finished. "Rukia, you get that hollow, this guy's mine."

"But Ichi--"

"Just do as I say. If you're worried about me then let me assure you that I'll be fine."

Rukia smirked.

"Tch, like I'd worry about an idiot like you. Let's finish this, it's already started raining."

"Yeah, yeah," Ichigo muttered as they leapt towards their respective opponents.

He swung Zangetsu down with both hands but the scrawny arrancar dodged it easily.

Ichigo looked up at his foe and studied him carefully. The arrancar was fairly skinny and had shoulder length white hair. What remained of his mask was a helmet that looked like the top half of a tiger's skull. He was wearing a white robe and had a short sword under his left arm

"What's your name, arrancar?"

The arrancar replied by giving Ichigo a death glare and slowly unsheathing a wakizashi. He pointed the tip of his sword at Ichigo and lunged using sonído. Before Ichigo could even raise his zanpakutou to block, a huge gash appeared on his chest.

_Damn…too slow…_

He dropped onto one knee, using Zangetsu to hold himself up. At about the same time, Rukia had dispatched the low-level hollow. She had gotten a few cuts and bruises here and there, but the only significant injury was a puncture wound in her left side, which was painful but not life-threatening. As she turned around she spotted the injured Soul Reaper.

"Ichigo!" she screamed while clutching her side.

"Stay back! I can handle this guy!" Ichigo yelled back.

"Don't be ridiculous! We should both take him on!"

"Two-on-one just isn't my style," Ichigo said as he clumsily got back on his feet and held Zangetsu straight out in front of himself.

"BANKA--"

Ichigo stumbled back and clutched the left side of his face before the transformation could take place.

_Dammit… so you're not gonna let me fight at full strength then?_

_**Heh, You catch on pretty quick, King.**_

Rukia watched the scene unfold and immediately realized what was going on. She knew they needed Ichigo's bankai to defeat the arrancar, but it appeared as if Ichigo's inner hollow wanted to interfere.

"So this is it?" The arrancar spoke for the first time as he prepared for another strike.

Rukia knew that the situation was bad, and it was getting worse by the second.

"Ichigo, we should retreat for now and let Captain Hitsugaya's team handle him!" she yelled.

Before the stubborn Soul Reaper could refuse, a familiar voice rang out.

"She's right, Kurosaki! Leave this one to us."

Captain Hitsugaya and his lieutenant had arrived to the fight and were standing right behind

Ichigo and Rukia.

"Toushirou!? Why are you here?" Ichigo asked with shock evident in his voice.

The young captain suddenly flash-stepped directly in front of the arrancar and impaled it through the face. It simply stared at his attacker before dissipating into nothing. Hitsugaya then sheathed his zanpakutou and looked over at Ichigo.

"You should get that wound looked at," Hitsugaya stated coldly as he started to wander off.

"Wait a minute! Answer my question dammit! Why did you--" Ichigo stopped mid-sentence

_**You're pathetic, King. That arrancar was a piece of cake yet it kicked your ass! Maybe I should do our fighting since you are so incompetent…**_

"Ichigo, are you having trouble with your hollow?" Rukia questioned. "We should see Urahara about it, and find out why an arrancar showed up."

"We can do that tomorrow. For now, I just need a nap," he replied.

Hitsugaya snorted. "You should get fixed up before doing anything else."

Ichigo shook his head and said, "I'm fine now. The only injury I have is this cut. We should just head back now."

Rukia was the first to retort.

"You fool! You still need medical attention!"

Ichigo grumbled something as he tried to get to his feet, but as soon as he was fully standing a sharp pain shot through his chest and he staggered forward. Ichigo shot his hand out to break the fall, yet the fall never came. Instead, Rukia had caught him and began to heal him simultaneously.

Ichigo's left arm was draped over her right shoulder as his right arm was by his side with Zangetsu in hand. Rukia had her left arm around his lower torso and the other was busy with the kido. They were both blushing from the close contact but their cheeks were already red due to the freezing rain.

After a few seconds, Ichigo whispered something.

"Sorry… 'bout all this…" he spoke softly.

"Idiot…" Rukia muttered back.

Meanwhile, the Squad Ten captain and his lieutenant looked on at the scene.

"Awwww! They're so cute together, aren't they?" Matsumoto asked her captain.

"I don't think this is any of our business, Matsumoto," he replied. Hitsugaya turned and started walking towards Orihime's apartment "C'mon, let's head back. The situation is under control."

Matsumoto huffed at him but followed anyway.

* * *

"Why'd you leave your gigai out in the rain?"

Ichigo's question broke Rukia's concentration. She had been focusing on keeping warm while the two of them walked back home. When they left their bodies to fight earlier, Ichigo had put his under a tree so his body wouldn't get too wet. Rukia, however, had just left hers out in the open, and it was soaked with thirty minutes worth of freezing rain.

"Hey! Midget! Are you listening?" Ichigo shouted.

"Yes, I'm listening, Ichigo. You don't have to be so loud…" Rukia spoke each word softer than the last.

Ichigo studied Rukia's current condition. Her cheeks were notably red and her teeth were chattering. On top of that, most of her body was shivering and she seemed unsteady as she walked. From the way she winced at almost any noise, Ichigo guessed that she also must've had one hell of a headache.

"Hey, Rukia, are you feeling okay? Ichigo asked, although he knew the answer was obvious.

No reply.

He let out a frustrated sigh and continued walking. They still had about a half-mile to go before arriving.

Things were silent for a minute as Rukia thought to herself.

_I can't keep this up much longer. I can hardly even feel my legs…ugh, my head is throbbing and I'm so cold…_

Suddenly, Rukia's legs buckled. Ichigo had been closely observing her and immediately saw her fall. He instinctively caught her and tried to stand her up again.

"What the hell!? Seriously, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly while holding her up. "Can you at least stand?"

Eyes half closed, she shook her head no and let out a few coughs.

"Guess that means I'm gonna have to carry you then," he said as he lifted her onto his back.

Rukia let out a soft yet surprised yelp as he picked her up. When he placed her on his back he could tell that the shivering had gone down a bit.

"You ready?" Ichigo asked as she put her arms around his neck and rested her head on his left shoulder, causing him to blush slightly.

"Mmmm…." was her reply.

"Alright then, let's go."

They walked that way for ten minutes, neither of them speaking so the moment wasn't ruined (Although neither would ever have admitted that).

As Ichigo's home came into view, Rukia finally spoke.

"Thanks…Strawberry…" she murmured.

"Don't worry about it" he replied.

_It was my pleasure._

* * *

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Are you kidding me?" Ichigo said out loud, although no one was around to hear it.

Once again, he scanned over the note his father had left him.

_Ichigo,_

_Yuzu, Karin, and I are going to be gone this weekend. I know you'll be able to survive the three-day weekend without us but I thought I should tell you anyways._

Ichigo turned the piece of paper over and was surprised to find that it had a message as well.

_Oh, and try not to get my third daughter pregnant while we are away. If you need them, cond--_

Ichigo immediately stopped reading and threw the note away while scheming about ways to kill his perverted father. But what upset him even more was the fact that he wouldn't have any medical help for Rukia since Isshin was gone.

Ichigo let out a defeated sigh and collapsed on the couch. He had sent Rukia to the bathroom immediately once they got home. He told her to take a hot bath and warm herself up. He helped her up the steps and made sure she made to the bathroom okay, which she did. Afterwards, he went back downstairs to look for some medicine that would be appropriate, but he then realized he didn't exactly know what her symptoms were. That was when he turned around and saw the note.

"What a day…' Ichigo muttered as he went up to his room to work on some homework.

* * *

_Damn…I feel horrible,"_

Rukia was laying in the tub which was filled with hot water, but that was only making her feel sleepy. True, it warmed her up a bit; however, being cold was the least of her worries.

_I heard a few of the girls talking about some sort of virus at school the other day. They said it was some kind of 'bug'_ _and that the symptoms they described are exactly what I'm experiencing now. How a single insect can cause this is beyond me…but what was this 'bug's' name?_

The raven-haired girl laid her head back, and would have drifted off had she not started a coughing fit which lasted around a minute. When it was over, she decided that the stuffy bathroom wasn't helping her and proceeded to drain the tub.

Ichigo had overheard Rukia coughing like a chain smoker and decided that she must've gotten the flu. The diagnosis made sense considering a fourth of his class was out with it. He finished up the last of his math and went back downstairs for some flu medicine. He searched the same cabinet as before and found exactly what he needed. Upon realizing that it was the same stuff he was always given as a child he shuddered.

_Dear God, hasn't she suffered enough?_

"Oh well…" he said to himself as he grabbed a spoon and some Gatorade to help get rid of the god-awful taste.

Ichigo turned the kitchen lights off and went upstairs. He stopped in front of the bathroom door, debating about whether he should give the medicine to her now or wait until she was done with her bath. The teen decided that he shouldn't interrupt since she was sick and he walked the rest of the way to his room.

Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw upon opening his door.

There was Rukia, laying on his bed in her Chappy pajamas. Her hair was still soaking wet and clung to her face as well as drenching his pillows. She was breathing rather heavily; her body moving up and down at a quick pace.

Ichigo was completely stunned when he saw her. Not because she had fallen asleep on his bed, mind you, but because of the way Rukia looked

"_She looks so serene….so beautiful, almost heavenly…"_

If this were any other time, Ichigo would be mentally pounding his face in for thinking such corny thoughts.

He was in a haze as he walked over to his desk, put the stuff he was carrying on it, and sat on the bed next to Rukia's head. Without even thinking he reached out and gently brushed the hair off her face. Rukia stirred a bit and started coughing again.

Ichigo immediately felt bad for disturbing her as he got up and headed for the door, only to be stopped by a weak yet familiar voice.

"Ichigo…why are you leaving?" Rukia said

"Uhh…" Ichigo uttered as he turned around.

Rukia quickly realized that she had fallen asleep in his bed.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she said as she nearly jumped out of Ichigo's bed

She didn't make it very far at all before collapsing, Ichigo once again catching her. Rukia coughed some more into his chest before he spoke up.

"Rukia, it's okay. You're pretty sick and don't think that I would make you sleep in a dusty closet when you have the flu."

Ichigo walked her back over to his bed and she got under the covers.

"How do you feel exactly?" he inquired once she had situated herself.

"Mmmm…my head hurts, my throat's dry, I feel weak all over, and I'm sure you've noticed my coughing" she replied, smiling weakly at the last part.

"Yeah…." Ichigo trailed off.

He went over to his desk and got the medicine and Gatorade.

"Alright, midget, this is gonna taste like crap but it should make you feel better," he said as he poured the green liquid into the spoon.

Rukia was too tired to protest so she simply opened her mouth slightly and drank it.

As soon as she swallowed, she started gagging and coughing, so Ichigo hastily opened the Gatorade and gave it to her.

"That should help with the taste."

Rukia nodded and sipped some of it. Once she was satisfied that the awful taste had been eliminated, she handed the drink back to Ichigo.

"Alright then, you should get some more rest," he stated as he screwed the bottle's cap back on.

"Um, Ichigo?" Rukia asked quietly.

"What?"

"Why are you taking such good care of me?"

The teen blushed and scratched his head while trying to come with an answer. Honestly, he wasn't quite sure himself.

"Well, why wouldn't I?" he finally answered. "We're pretty close, right?"

Rukia smiled softly and laid her head on Ichigo's pillow.

"Of course, Strawberry," she whispered loud enough for him to hear.

"Tch, even when you're sick you don't let up on the name-calling, you--" Ichigo paused to yawn "--midget. I think I'm getting' kinda tired as well."

He turned and looked back at Rukia.

"See ya in the morning." he said with a slight wave.

She mumbled something in response and closed her eyes

"_Hmph. She actually is pretty cute."_

This time he didn't argue with himself.


	2. Un Amigo Nuevo

_A/N: Here's the second chapter! Now, I have to tell you guys that updates ARE going to be irregular, but I will try to make it so that you will not have to wait more than three weeks. Keyword: TRY. Oh, and try to keep me motivated! I have a meager goal of about five to ten reviews per chapter, so if you like the story then PLEASE leave a review. Even if you don't, tell me where to improve. I know that I definitely need some of the latter since this my first attempt at any sort of fictional writing. Okay then, enough ranting! Time for chapter two!_

* * *

Our orange-haired substitute was having a difficult time sleeping that night. No, no…. that would be an understatement. Sleeping peacefully after such a day is a feat no one could pull off. Ichigo was staring blankly at the television while some guy named Vince was telling him how amazing ShamWow was. After toying with the idea of a zanpakutou-ShamWow hybrid (Shampakutou anyone?) he decided it would be best to get some fresh air to clear his head.

He walked up the stairs and quietly snuck into his room. Luckily, Rukia was still asleep in his bed. Ichigo went over to his desk and grabbed the jacket he had draped over the chair. He took one last glance at the sleeping Soul Reaper before leaving.

"What the hell ever happened to normal days?" he murmured to himself as he walked out the front door.

True, nothing has been normal for him since that fateful mid-May night, but he had grown accustomed to his new lifestyle.

As he wandered aimlessly around the streets of Karakura, he attempted to make sense of what had transpired that day, and organize a to-do list for the weekend.

_Let's see…first I need to go see Urahara about the arrancar that showed up. Maybe I should also check why it came with such a puny hollow…ah, whatever. That part was probably just a coincidence anyway._

He walked past Inoue's apartment and vaguely wondered what she had been up to lately since things had settled down and no one was currently being kidnapped.

_Alright, second thing…who do I ask about my hollow? While it has been a bit more active since my fight with Ulquiorra, it hasn't really interfered with my fighting…I guess I'll just tell Urahara and see if he sends me back to the Vizards…_

Ichigo looked up when he heard a convenience store's door open and saw none other than the perverted shopkeeper himself and his trademark striped hat walking out with a black cat in tow.

"Hey! Urahara!" Ichigo shouted as he ran up to the man.

"Why hello there, Kurosaki-san! What are you doing out at such an early hour?" Urahara replied as he turned and opened his fan in front of his face.

"I could ask you the same thing. Mind telling me why you're shopping at a competitor's store so late?"

The cat sitting next to Urahara's feet answered. "Kisuke and I were just purchasing some much needed items that his shop doesn't carry."

Ichigo looked down at the plastic bag in his hand and could make out a can of whipped cream, some candles, and two little orange boxes.

"Why the hell would you need all that so early?" he asked, slightly confused.

"My, my, a little thick in the head now, are we, Kurosaki-san?" Urahara said with his fan in front of his face again to hide his mischievous grin.

"Why you--"

"Stop teasing him Kisuke! Now then, Ichigo. What is it that you needed?" Yoruichi asked with her deep, male voice she possessed in cat form.

"Right…do either of you have any info about the arrancar that attacked earlier?"

The shopkeeper put on a serious face and closed his fan.

"About that…Captain Hitsugaya came by earlier and filled us in," he started. "He told me that it was probably a low-ranking numeros, but why it attacked is still unclear. It may have been a scout sent by Aizen, or it simply could have been an isolated attack. As of now, however, we can't tell. I was also told that you were having some trouble with your hollow, correct?"

Ichigo stared at the ground a few moments before answering.

"…Yeah."

They all stood in silence as Urahara thought about the situation.

"Well, Ichigo, all I can tell you is that you need to communicate with it in your inner world. You should tell it--"

"What the hell!?" Ichigo interjected. "There is no fucking way that I'm gonna have a civil conversation with that bastard!"

Suddenly, Yoruichi jumped up and took a swipe at the rude teen's face. Four red lines appeared on the left side of his face.

"Ow! Dammit Yoruichi! What the hell!?…jesus that hurts…as if I haven't been attacked enough today!"

"Listen to the idea completely before you reject it, you imbecile! You wanted help so shut your mouth and pay attention!" the cat yelled.

Ichigo grumbled something spiteful as he rubbed his cheek to help alleviate the pain.

Urahara cleared his throat before continuing with his suggestion.

"As I was saying, Kurosaki-san, you need to come to an agreement with your hollow so it stops interfering with your fighting. Since you have already subjugated it, Zangetsu will be there to help enforce whatever decision you two come up with."

Ichigo let the information sink in before asking, "What if he attacks me?"

"Like I said, Zangetsu will be there to back you up. Now then, if that's all, Yoruichi and I have some business to attend to." the perverted man said with a strange glint in his eye.

"Alright, thanks for the help." Ichigo sighed as he looked off to the side and scratched the back of his head.

When he looked back the two were already gone and had dropped one of the orange boxes. As he bent down to pick it up he shouted, "Hey! You dropped one of…your…boxes…….."

His face went completely red as he read what the box's contents were. Let's just say that they were lubricated.

* * *

His walk back home was less eventful. He had gone into the convenience store that Urahara was in to get a bottle of water. When he entered, he noticed the clerk was putting something to his face but dismissed it and went to the fridges in the back.

Only when Ichigo was checking out did he realize that the clerk had been applying bandages to his left cheek. The two stared at each other for a moment before the man muttered something about a perverted blond man and his demon cat, and passed some of his bandages across the counter.

So now Ichigo was halfway home. He had taken care of the arrancar incident, his questions about his hollow, the scratch on his face, and this thirst. All that was left was….

…_..Rukia._

There were few things that he needed to sort out about the raven-haired girl. First, he had to take care of her while she was sick, which shouldn't be hard since his house doubled as a clinic. The other problem was a little more…complicated. Ever since they had returned from rescuing Inoue, Ichigo's feelings for Rukia had been way more confusing than before. He felt a lot closer to her, but the stubborn teen refused outright the possibility of love.

_Then what the hell do I call this feeling? Sorta-love? Ah, screw it. I've got bigger problems right now to deal with than some stupid hormonal crap. How on earth do I convince my hollow to butt out? Do I bribe the bastard? If so, what would I give him? A ShamWow? _

Ichigo chuckled to himself at the thought of his hollow trying to figure out how to use one of those things.

_**I don't particularly enjoy the thought of being given one of those. How about letting me out a little more, eh, King?**_

His inner hollow's sudden interjection startled Ichigo, but he quickly regained his wits.

_How about you shut the hell up until we meet face-to-face tonight?_

_**Works for me.**_

And with that, his hollow silenced itself. But that didn't ease the Soul Reaper's worries.

_He wanted to be let out more….does he mean control of my body periodically?_

The thought of his hollow self being let loose made him cringe, especially since his transformation atop the dome of Las Noches.

Ichigo arrived back at his house few minutes later. He went up to his room to put his *cough* checkonrukia *cough* jacket back and then retreated back to the couch in the living room. He glanced at the clock before laying down.

4:30 A.M.

"Well," he said aloud while closing his eyes, "Here it goes…"

* * *

"Hello, Ichigo," Zangetsu said in his deep voice. "I'm glad you have come. Your hollow self has been becoming increasingly intolerable."

"Right…" Ichigo responded. "That's actually why I'm here. Where is the annoying bastard anyway?"

"Over here, you idiot!" a familiar voice rang out.

Ichigo looked to his right and saw his inner hollow, and was immediately taken aback. Every thing about him was the same, except for his hair, which made its way down most of his back, but was still spiky at the top.

Ichigo couldn't help but laugh as he greeted the entity. "You look like a punk version of Ukitake!" he exclaimed between laughter.

"Shut the hell up, you asshole!" the angry hollow exclaimed. "It's your fault anyway!"

Ichigo looked dumbfounded. Was he required to give his inner hollow haircuts? Didn't he have a sword, too?

"Clearly, I'm going to have to spell it out for your stupid brain to understand!" his hollow roared.

"Hey! You can--" Ichigo was about to interject.

"Quiet! It's rude to interrupt!"

"I see what you mean 'intolerable'," Ichigo mumbled to Zangetsu, who nodded in agreement.

His inner hollow was now fuming. "Just. Shut. The. Fuck. Up."

"Fine. Now get on with it."

"With less cursing," Zangetsu added.

"As I was saying, King, this is your fault," the hollow restated. "Do you know why that is?"

The orange-haired teen shook his head. "No, I don't."

"Then let me explain why. When you got your ass handed to you by that espada on top of Las Noches, I had to help you out yet again. In doing so, I went through another transformation. This transformation, while giving me more power, caused my hair to grow out and look like this. Why the transformation had such a retarded side effect is beyond me or the old man."

"So, let me get this straight," Ichigo began. "You went through a transformation that made you powerful enough to kill Ulquiorra without even breaking a sweat, and you're pissed off that it caused your hair to grow?! No wonder I'm the one in charge!"

"I wouldn't be sounding so smug, King. Or have you forgotten about this afternoon?"

The atmosphere suddenly turned tense.

"Why did you interfere?" Ichigo asked icily.

"Because I want to be let out. Do you know how frustrating it is to have all of this power, but I can't do a fucking thing with it?"

"When Ichigo pulls out his mask, does that not satisfy your needs?" Zangetsu inquired.

"Nowhere near satisfaction," he replied. "Before the transformation, when Kingy over there used his mask, he only drew upon about twenty percent of my power. Now, his mask only uses about five percent of my strength."

Both Ichigo and Zangetsu looked surprised

"…Five?" Ichigo croaked out

"Exactly," his inner hollow replied. "And if you want me to stop interfering then you should consider what I am about to offer you."

"I am not letting you take control of my body, you bastard!" Ichigo shouted defiantly.

"Perhaps you misunderstood what I said earlier, King. I said that I wanted to be let out a little more. What I meant was I want you to draw upon my power more. To do so, you and I are going to train some in the next few weeks. That way more of my strength is used, and therefore you gain even greater power when masked. I might even teach you a few new tricks as well. So how about it, eh, Ichigo?"

Said person was absolutely stunned because not only did the offer benefit both of them, but it also acted as a sort of peace treaty between the two. Something didn't seem right…

"What's the catch?" Ichigo asked once he'd recovered from the shock of such civility coming from his inner hollow. His answer surprised Ichigo even more.

"That you use this power I'm offering to its fullest. I know you have a penchant for protecting people, and I know that if you fail you get depressed. And when you get depressed, it rains in here. While I may not hate rain as much as the old geezer I'm still not very fond of it."

Ichigo was still slightly wary. "Why are you all of a sudden in the mood to help me?"

"Because, maybe I've realized something. Maybe I've realized that I can never truly take over. If I did, then my death is almost guaranteed due to your connections with Soul Society. Maybe I've also realized that I can get the same satisfaction of being in control simply from you drawing on my full power. Maybe I've just had a change of heart. So, what is your answer?"

Ichigo looked over to Zangetsu, who had the hint of a smile on his face and simply nodded his head.

"Alright then. I'll accept your offer. But before I go, should I call you something other than 'hollow'?"

His inner hollow pondered the question for a moment before answering. "I don't have a name, remember? I simply exist as a part of you. Call me whatever you want. By the way, I may be on your side now, but after this I'm gonna go back to being a cocky asshole, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah. See you around….me,"

His hollow snickered. "That was so corny, King."

And with that, Ichigo drifted off into his dreams with a content smile on his face.

* * *

9:00 A.M.

"ICHIGOOOO!!!"

"What…what the…hell?" Ichigo mumbled groggily as he opened his eyes.

He was expecting to see the living room ceiling once his eyes were open. Too bad nothing that happens in his life is ever expected. Instead of a white ceiling welcoming Ichigo's vision, he got a facefull of Kon.

This woke the teen up.

"Get the hell off of me you retarded stuffed animal!" he yelled as he tossed the lion plushie across the room and into the sink. "Why did you wake me up!?"

"Because, Ichigo, nee-san doesn't love me anymore! And apparently now you don't either!" Kon wailed.

"Maybe you aren't as stupid as you look," Ichigo mumbled as he laid back onto the couch.

The annoying mod soul continued to complain. "And now you insult me! No one appreciates me waking them up!"

This got Ichigo's attention.

"You didn't wake up Rukia, did you?" he asked angrily.

"Well I tried but the moment I said good morning she puked on me and fell right back asleep!"

"What the fuck, Kon!? Rukia's sick you moron and your ugly mug at this hour is what probably made her vomit!" Ichigo screamed at Kon.

"Ichigo! Don't be so mean! I'm very sensitive right now!"

"Why don't you shut the hell up and clean yourself off since you're in the sink!" Ichigo exclaimed as he stomped up the staircase and headed to the bathroom.

He grabbed an old towel and some cleaning solution from under the cabinet before heading to his room. Luckily, there wasn't a whole lot of cleaning that needed to be done and what little there was was on the wooden floor. He quickly cleaned it up, walked back to the bathroom, and threw the old towel away.

_God, I am going to kill Kon one of these days…_

He returned to his room and looked out the window. What he witnessed amazed him. All of Karakura Town was glistening from the sheet of ice that covered it. Sure, there were a few patches of ice here and there when he went for his walk earlier that morning, but this was incredible.

"I hope we have everything we need, because I sure as hell am not going out there," he muttered to himself as he changed his clothes.

"Hmmm…what…?" A half-asleep Rukia murmured as she began to sit up.

"Oh, hey Rukia. Are you feeling any better?" A concerned Ichigo asked.

"Mhm…I feel a lot better since I…threw…up. I'm so sorry about that, Ichigo. I would've help clean but I didn't have the strength to stay awake."

"Don't sweat it, midget. Cleaning that up was worth it considering Kon absorbed most of the puke." he chuckled. "Let me feel your head to see if you still have a fever."

He walked over to his bed and gently placed his hand onto her forehead.

"Hmm…you're still a bit warm, I'll go get some soup ready for us. Can you make it downstairs?"

"Worried _Kurosaki-kun_?" Rukia questioned mockingly. "I do believe my legs still work."

"Shut up, midget, I'm just trying to be nice. Now go get cleaned up, your breath smells terrible." Ichigo teased as he left his room.

"Hmph!" Rukia pouted.

She would have thrown a pillow at the stupid Strawberry if she wasn't so tired. She then proceeded to get dressed, fix her hair, brush her teeth, and check her soul pager. She had to admit that she still didn't feel one hundred percent, but it was a lot better than the previous night.

"_What's that smell?"_ she thought to herself as she walked carefully down the staircase.

"Oi, Rukia! Didn't tumble down the stairs I see."

"Shut up, you fool! I told you I'm fine! Now, what smells so good?" Rukia demanded.

"It's called chicken noodle soup. Ever tried it?"

"Chicken….noodle? You string pieces of chicken into noodles?"

Ichigo let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

"No, Rukia, it has pieces of chicken with noodles along with some other vegetables."

"Oh," she responded simply as he handed Rukia her bowl.

They both ate in silence, not counting the occasional slurping of a noodle, until they were both finished.

"Well? How was it?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia pretended to seriously consider her answer.

"Hmm…rather simple, but tasty nonetheless. I guess it's worth recommending to nii-sama."

"Whatever you say….midget."

A few kicks to the shin later….

"Well, since we aren't going outside unless there's a hollow, what do you want to do?" Ichigo inquired as he sat on the couch.

"How are you going to talk to Urahara if we can't leave the house? And why can't we leave?" Rukia asked, genuinely confused.

"I already took care of it, and look out the window."

Rukia plopped down onto the couch next to Ichigo after seeing the frozen state of Karakura.

"Well someone's efficient today." she muttered

"Aren't I always?" Ichigo countered.

"Whatever…let's watch some of that TV crap. I'm too tired to move much today."

Ichigo knew exactly how she felt. "Sure, just no Chappy the Nightmare."

"Pleeeaassse?" Rukia pleaded with puppy-dog eyes as she curled up next to him.

That alone made the four hour marathon worth it. Well, almost anyway.

* * *

_A/N (part 2): Sorry that this was all dialogue! The real story picks up next chapter. Anyways, reviews are loved!_


End file.
